Gallup: More than half of U.S. workers are ‘quiet quitting’
(Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
A new Gallup poll shows nearly 50% of Americans — and probably more — are "quiet quitting" while on the job.
Quiet quitting is continuing to work but doing the bare minimum in order avoid burnout and keep collecting a paycheck.
In addition, Gallup said in the second quarter of 2022, the number of engaged workers remained at 32% but the number of disengaged workers increased to 18%, making the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees at 1.8 to 1, the lowest in almost a decade.
Researchers added the drop in engagement began in the second half of 2021 citing "clarity of expectations, opportunities to learn and grow, feeling cared about, and a connection to the organization's mission or purpose" as contributing factors to the friction between employees and their bosses.
RELATED: 'Quiet quitting' is nothing new
Notably, Gallup found that the drop in engagement and employer satisfaction was among the remote Gen Z population and younger millennials who are 35 years old and younger. The number has gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key takeaways from the poll found:
- The percentage of engaged employees under the age of 35 dropped by six percentage points from 2019 to 2022. And during the same time, the percentage of actively disengaged employees increased by six points.
- Younger workers have dropped 10 or more points in the percentage who strongly agree that someone cares about them, someone encourages their development, and they have opportunities to learn and grow.
- Fully remote and hybrid young workers dropped 12 points in strong agreement that someone encourages their development.
- Disturbingly, less than four in 10 young remote or hybrid employees clearly know what is expected of them at work.
Gallup does offer tips for companies to resolve the quiet quitting crisis. They include managers regularly communicating with their employees to see how they fit in with the company’s big picture.
FOX 5 New York contributed to this story. This story was reported from Los Angeles.